What happened next
by bettyloupete
Summary: Amy and Jake pick up where Flashpoint left off. He's been away, as mentioned in Mission Titanic. This is my attempt to figure out where they got back together and what might have happened in the year that followed.
1. Chapter 1

Amy and Jake. What happened at the end of Flashpoint.

Chapter 1

The first time Amy saw Jake after their long break, was, well, confusing. Chasing down and destabilizing J. Rutherford Pierce had been her most challenging feat yet, and that was saying something! Amy was part of the most powerful and influential family in the world. The Cahill family had a terrible secret, one that involved 39 ingredients to a master serum; a serum that would grant the beholder incredible strength, vitality, intelligence, cunning and leadership. It came with a price however, it was lethal and not to be trifled with. Amy had very nearly died from taking the serum and if it had not been for Jake risking his own life to save hers, she would be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean right now. She owed so much to Jake. She loved him and she had told him that, but she had also told him to leave her and never look back. Being a part of this family had a way of making its members crazy or dead. Taking out Pierce had been a monumental task. It had taken a toll on both of them. Once the pandemonium died down, Amy and Dan had quit the family, handing control of the Cahill business over to Ian and Cara-a natural team quite up to the challenge. Amy and Dan had earned as much rest as they wanted. Jake had taken a year off from his studies too. Amy had hoped she would be able to see Jake a few times that year, but he had called not long after her return to Attleboro to say he would be off line and off the grid for a while. He had decided to spend some time with his world-renowned archeologist father, Dr. Mark Rosenbloom, on a dig in Indonesia.

That worked out since Ian and Cara had needed her and Dan's help with another criminal mastermind-their grandfather. But all of that was behind them now. Amy was looking at her final year of high school, Dan was just starting high school as a 15-year-old and for the first time in a long time, it looked like their lives would be normal, well, at least as normal as Cahill lives could be.

Make no mistake, very few days went by where Amy didn't think of Jake. He was in many ways the Yin to her Yang. She was so use to being in charge, forced by the family to make larger-than-life decisions; life-changing decisions. She wasn't naturally decisive, but circumstance had thrust her into that position.

By contrast, Jake was a natural leader. He radiated governance every time she was around him. The fact that he was so decisive was one of the most attractive things about him, although, everything about Jake was attractive. His sculpted face and strong jawline, his olive complexion and green eyes, his thick wavy brown hair and tall frame accentuated by well-defined muscles. He was hard to ignore, no matter who you were!

She had tried to ignore him at first, in fact, she had hated him for a time. He had turned her and her brother Dan into Interpol when they first met. It had taken months to win her trust and eventual affection.

She still remembered the first time he said he loved her. They had been in the midst of stopping the doomsday device and had crammed into a small closet to hide. He had kissed her then. She thought she might fly right out of her shoes, or at the very least, fall over. She had returned the statement-and meant it. She loved Jake; she still did.

It was nearing the holidays. She and Dan had three glorious weeks off from school and Amy was planning on curling up in the library with Saladin and reading to her hearts content, after, of course, sending in college admission applications. She was planning on applying to several Ivy League universities, but she really only wanted to attend one of them.

Dan was planning on some epic gaming with Atticus now that Att was home in Cambridge for the holidays. Amy had wanted to ask if Jake was planning on coming home too, but just couldn't quite make herself ask Dan. She had his number and he had hers; if he wanted to see her, he could call her up himself.

Ian was always at the Mansion now, being the head of the Cahill family and she had gotten used to seeing him around. Ian came casually into the library and stood in front of Amy that morning. He had one hip popped and stood with his arms crossed, staring with a smirk on his face.

"What is it Ian?" Amy said looking up from her laptop. Her application to Brown pulled up and half-filled in.

"I think you had better answer the door. I'm fairly certain our latest guest _isn't _here to see me."

Amy put down her laptop and frowned at Ian, "Who is it?" Ian gave her a wan smile, turned and left the room.

Right then, the front door sounded. Amy got up, slowly left the library, walked down the magnificent curved staircase and made her way across the marble entry to the front door.

She opened it.

"Hi Amy" said Jake, looking at her through his sunglasses, a small smile cracking at the left of his mouth. He was every bit as gorgeous as she remembered.

"Jake, hi." Amy temporarily froze. She couldn't think straight. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She could feel her face flushing. She finally said, "Come in. I didn't know you were coming."

"I didn't know I was either. Not until this morning. Att mentioned getting together with Dan, and I figured I should take the chance to come see you. How are you?" Jake said.

Amy looked him up and down, she knew he would notice her doing this, but she didn't care. It had been 6 months since she had last spoken with him and even longer since she had seen him. She missed him.

With a sigh and a smile, she said slowly, "I'm fine." She gave him a sad sort of smile. She was fine, by all accounts, but they had a lot to work through. He knew it too.

"Do you want to take a drive with me?" Jake asked as he inclined his head toward the Mercedes sitting in the circle drive.

Her smile turned into a genuine, "Yes, very much."

Half an hour later, they were turning onto I-95 headed into the heart of Boston. They drove along in silence for a while, Amy looking out the window at the snow-covered blanket on the ground. Even a great city could be transformed into a thing of elegance with some snow.

Jake kept eyeing Amy while he drove. His right hand hooked over the top of the steering wheel. The sun was so bright coming off of the snow and Amy kept squinting against the brightness. Jake popped the overhead bin and withdrew an extra pair of sunglasses.

"Here, these will help," he said.

Amy turned and looked at his offering and at his face. He was grinning a kind smile at her. She couldn't see his eyes, but she had a feeling they were kind behind the glasses. Jake did care for her.

Taking them, she said "thanks."

"So, how have you been? Atticus filled me in a little on your trouble with…your grandfather. How are you holding up?"

Amy did not want to talk about this with Jake. It wasn't a matter of hurt or anguish, although, that was there. No, this was more a desire to distance her trouble from Jake. He had experienced so much of that during their time together.

"I'm doing alright. It has just confirmed for me however that even with Ian at the helm, I can never truly step away from the Cahill family. Mr. Macintyre told me as much last year. He said I was born into this and it was my job to rise to the challenge."

Jake sat in silence while watching Amy talk. He felt so much for her. He knew she didn't ask for this life, but yet, she was thrust into it and did a masterful job of handling all that was given to her. It was one of the many reasons he was so attracted to her. It was time he came clean.

"Amy, I didn't just come to see you on a whim today."

This caught her attention.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Jake sighed. "After the Pierce incident, I needed some time away, some time to think. I told you that my father asked me to accompany him on a dig…well, that wasn't exactly true."

Jake continued, "I reached out to dad, told him that I needed some time to think and be away from life for a while. He didn't ask me the reason, but he knew." Jake looked at Amy for a long moment. He was drinking in her now familiar features. Her light brown hair had gotten longer, her peach colored skin was so flawless and her lips... He had missed this face. He had seen it behind his eye lids as he fell asleep every night in Indonesia.

"I needed time to sort out what I felt for you Amy."

Amy's head began to spin. Was he really starting with this heavy of a topic so soon? Was she ready to hear this? Was this the start of the 'I respect-you-so-much-but-can't-live-with-you discussion? Amy said nothing, but stared at Jake as he continued.

"You kept pushing me away during the hunt for the antidote, and I knew it was a way to protect me. I kept telling myself that it would be the exact thing I'd do to protect you if our roles were reversed."

"I was ready to die for you Amy." Jake looked over at her and slipped his right hand into her left.

Her heart swelled. She had to blink back tears. Jake went on,

"I realized that this is your life all the time. The trouble with the Vespers and then with Pierce-they're just the next pieces on the chess board of a Cahill's life."

Jake looked back to the road. He also removed his hand back to the steering wheel.

Amy held her breath. What was he getting at? Why leave the mansion if he was just going to break up with her? What an awkward ride home if he was breaking up before they ever got to Boston!

"So, I asked my father if I could join him at his dig. I've spent the last 6 months thinking a lot about you Amy. A lonely dig site out in the middle of Indonesia gives a guy a lot of time to think."

Jake smiled. There it was again, that perfect toothpaste-commercial smile he had.

Amy smiled too. "What did you decide? Did you drive all the way over to the mansion this morning just to end things with me? This seems like a long way to come if you're doing that."

Jake took the exit onto Boylston St and they began to snake their way toward Harvard Square.

Jake took his sunglasses off to properly look at Amy.

"In those 6 months, I made more mistakes on the dig than I care to admit. My father finally had enough of me and sent me home last week. He said my mind was somewhere else."

Amy smiled at him, her heart swelling.

"I love you Amy Cahill. I needed some time to figure out how much, but it is pretty clear to me that Cahill or not, I don't want to be with anyone else."

Amy reached over and kissed Jake on the cheek. She let her kiss linger as the warmth of his cheek spread through her lips. This was the best news she had ever heard.

"Oh Jake, I feel the same!"

The traffic drew to a crawl and Jake and Amy reached over for their first real kiss in almost a year. Amy savored every moment. It was only when the car behind them honked that they broke apart.

With a smile, Amy asked "Where are you taking me exactly?"

"I thought we might take a walk around Harvard. This is home for me after all. It's pretty and I like the snow. Plus, I start classes again next month. I decided to restart at semester." Jake looked for Amy's reaction.

She was shocked. What about taking that year off? He still had a full semester to himself.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Are you disappointed?" Jake asked with mild alarm on his face.

"No, no, no, I- just- I- mean…" she trailed off.

"I'm just surprised is all." She finished lamely.

"Well, Att was getting tired of the oppressive Pacific heat and no internet, plus, he wants to finish college this year." Jake looked over at Amy, smiling. "And, it would give me an excuse to see you as often as I can." Jake said.

They found a parking garage and he wound their way up to the top before finding a spot. They got out, Jake walking around to Amy's side of the car.

Her head was trying to process all that he had said. It made sense, but it was so sudden it seemed. She shut her door and turned to find Jake standing very close to her. He took a step closer so they were sharing the same air. My god, he was so breathtaking. With his glasses off, she could see him studying every feature of her face with an intensity she'd only seen on him a few other times.

"I've missed you Amy." Jake voiced.

Amy found her arms snaking up around his neck of their own volition. She took in his familiar scent and was instantly comforted by it.

Even though it was cold out, Amy didn't feel it. Jake reached up and brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. He brought his lips down to hers and they stood in the cold parking garage savoring this long-withheld moment.

After they had walked all over campus in the cold, they found Jake's favorite café and both of them huddled together over a small bistro table. To an outside observer, they were just the next love-struck college couple in the place. Their heads mere inches from each other and their eyes glued on each other. They played with each other's hands across the tiny table. Nuclear war could have happened in the café and Jake and Amy would never have noticed; they had each other and that was enough.

"You know, for having spent as much time together as we have, I still don't know a lot about you, Jake", Amy teased.

"Oh, like what?" Jake said looking out the top of his eyelids at her and making her melt a little.

"Well, for starters, I just found out Harvard is home for you." Amy said, snaking her left hand up his right.

Jake loved her touch, in fact, it drove him mad. He gave a little involuntary shudder and met her eyes. "Where did you think I was going to college? I would have thought it was fairly obvious."

"Well, I don't know, there are so many famous universities in Boston and each one of them is more impressive than the last. My father went to MIT, and his father went to Boston College. There's Tufts and Northeastern. I don't think Harvard is a given if you're from Boston. My mother and grandmother both went to Brown. I know it's not in Boston, but it's not that far away either." Amy said, withdrawing her hand from his and taking a sip of her cappuccino.

"I see what you mean," Jake said sitting back in his chair. "All the Rosenblooms have gone to Harvard. We're a legacy family in fact. So many generations now it's pretty much assumed Atticus and I will attend. Even my mother and step-mother had Harvard degrees. In fact, this is where my dad met Astrid."

Jake picked up his coffee and held it in both hands. His eyes unfocused as he thought of his step-mother. Her death had been particularly hard on him. He had known her his entire life and it was her influence on him that had made him the academic scholar he was. He missed her greatly. Amy reminded him a bit of Astrid. Maybe that's what initially drew him to Amy, of course, once he had gotten over being so angry at her and Dan for stealing 'Il Millione' down in the bowels of the Colosseum. Amy had that same love of learning and reverence for literature and antiquities. Astrid had taught him so much. He knew she must be smiling down on him from wherever she was. Amy was _just_ the sort of girlfriend she would have wanted for him. And his father-hadn't his father referred to Amy as 'a nerd with an adventurous side?' adding that she was exactly Jake's type? He had been embarrassed by the conversation, but his father was right. Amy was the girl of his dreams. Now, he only had to convince his father that Amy wasn't bad news. He had wanted Jake to stay away from anything having to do with the Cahills. He suspected they had some connection to Astrid's death, an in a very remote way, they did. Damian Vesper had poisoned Astrid. Well, Jake could help his father relax now that Damian had been killed by the very machine he built to kill all of humanity. He knew he had a future heart-to-heart with his father coming, he just didn't know when.

"You know, we don't live too far from here. Why don't you come with me and we can eat something. I don't know about you, but this latte isn't going to fill me up," Jake rose, reaching out for Amy's hand.

"It's like you read my mind," Amy said rising and grasping Jake's hand. Together they set off for the Rosenbloom manor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amy and Jake spent the rest of the afternoon together. The Rosenbloom manor was a very impressive and imposing Victorian manor nestled in West Cambridge just outside of campus. The large manor house was immaculate and the grounds were small, but impeccable. A low iron gate ran along the sidewalk surrounding the home. Tall arborvitae trimmed to perfection behind the iron fence and offered absolute privacy to the home.

Jake had given her a quick tour of the home, highlighting family photos and heirlooms, including, to Amy's astonishment, a 16th century Amati violin made in Cremona, Italy. Jake had been so impressed that she knew what it was, that he picked it up and began to play Mozart's '_Eine Kleine Nachtmusik_.' Amy was speechless.

"Jake, Mozart was a Madrigal!" Amy's eyes were sparkling. "I had no idea you knew how to play!"

Jake finished his last note, lowered the violin, "I guess you were right, there is a lot about me you don't know." He said smiling.

"I had no idea" Amy said smiling and shaking her head. "You keep surprising me. First you know several languages, then you tackle villains like a linebacker and now I find out you play Mozart on a priceless violin. You're amazing."

Jake replaced the violin on its stand and turned to Amy. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, "Well, I have to keep up with my impressive girlfriend. I don't know if you've met her yet, but she's pretty much a female Indiana Jones. I keep expecting her to brandish her whip and fly over some crevasse while rescuing a lost masterpiece, or more likely a lost manuscript." Jake leaned in and kissed her playfully.

"I'll have to meet this girlfriend of yours-and kick her ass." Amy said with mock indignation and turned away to head down the hall.

She could hear the TV on somewhere nearby. Jake followed her. About halfway down the hallway, she saw a blue-green light coming from under a door. She leaned her head toward the door. Jake came up behind her and nestled his head in the crook of her shoulder. Together they listened to Dan and Atticus laughing and playing video games. Jake reached around Amy and twisted the doorknob. The two boys didn't seem to notice they had visitors.

"Hi guys" Amy said stepping into Atticus' room.

"Oh, hi Amy!" Atticus said, pressing pause on his and Dan's game. He jumped up and ran to give Amy a hug. He had missed her too it appeared.

Amy hugged him back and smiled at him. "Have you been doing this the whole time we've been home? Didn't you hear us downstairs?"

Atticus turned and looked at Dan, together they tried to suppress smiles.

"Oh, we knew you were home," Dan said "We just figured we didn't want to lose our lunch watching the two of you make out."

Amy's mouth dropped open, "Dan!" she said quickly, feeling embarrassed.

"Amy, when are you going to stop having that reaction to people pointing out that you've got the hots for Jake?" Dan said. "Everyone, and I mean _everyone_ knows you two can't get enough of each other."

Amy blushed and felt her neck getting hot. She glanced over at Jake and he met her eyes. He gave a tiny shrug as if to say, 'well, he has a point.'

Amy couldn't help it. She didn't need a lecture on romance etiquette from her little brother who still picked his nose.

"Well, I'm pretty sure we'd pull ourselves apart long enough to say hello to both of you. I haven't seen Atticus in a very long time." Amy said glancing at Atticus with a smile. He beamed up at her giving her another quick hug.

"It's OK Amy, I'm just glad the two of you have made up and are back together. I've been having to listen to Jake moan your name in his sleep for the last 6 months. It's pretty exhausting on a kid." Atticus said, eyeing Jake.

Now it was Jake's turn to go scarlet. He cleared his throat and said, "I think we better leave these two alone." As he inclined his head away from the boys toward the door.

Amy followed him brushing her hand across Jake's chest as she passed him. She heard Jake sigh and then the door clicked.

Amy turned around to face Jake in the hallway. He walked up and encircled her in his arms, "so they think all we do is make out?"

Amy blushed. "They're such dweebs."

"No, I think they're on to something. I think we ought to live up their expectations," Jake said with a smolding look on his face. He began to walk Amy backward across the hallway. When her back hit something hard, she stopped. Jake reached back and opened another door behind her and ushered her inside. Then he closed the door behind him. They had just entered Jake's bedroom.

Amy's face felt hot, she was in Jake Rosenbloom's bedroom, with him. He continued to walk Amy backward across the room, all the while kissing her. Amy couldn't see straight. Her head was swimming.

Suddenly, she felt something behind her. She turned to look-it was the bed. Jake put his hand on her back to help ease her down onto it. She simultaneously wanted to shout for him to stop while also wanting to wrap her legs around his waist.

She finally found her voice and squeaked out, "Jake." He didn't respond, still kissing her. She said his name again, this time applying a little pressure to his chest with her hands. "Jake."

He stopped kissing her and looked at her. "Jake, I'm not ready for this."

He put his head on her clavicle and took a long, slow breath, then he stood up and pulled her to her feet. She stood staring at him, trying to get a measure on what he was feeling; Annoyance, frustration, guilt?

He looked at her, still holding her hands. "Ok," he said, nodding. "Whatever you're comfortable with. I'm sorry if I took it too far. I just get…" Jake sighed, "You just do something to me Amy. I can't explain it."

Amy knew that feeling all too well herself. For a moment, she wondered where they'd be now if she hadn't put a stop to things. She glanced back at his bed and could briefly picture the two of them intertwined together. She shook her head to clear the thought from her mind.

Jake and Amy went downstairs to the kitchen. The kitchen-bright, airy and not a single bed in sight. Perfect. Amy was silently watching Jake as he moved around the room. He was quiet. She wondered if she had made him mad upstairs? She decided to find out.

"Jake, are you upset with me?" Amy asked, wrinkling her brow.

Jake looked up from filling two glasses with water. "No, of course not, why?" He had genuine concern on his face.

Amy looked down, embarrassed, "I don't know, I guess I just didn't want you angry with me for what just happened."

Jake smiled a genuine apology smile and walked over to her. He set down the two glasses of water. "Amy, if anything, I'm sorry. I got carried away. It won't happen again, I promise. From now on I'm only taking your cues." He stopped and tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. "If you, you know," he stopped, looking embarrassed, "ever want to…take things further," he blushed and smiled a sheepish smile, "you just let me know."

Amy couldn't _believe_ they were having this conversation. She smiled that same embarrassed smile back at him. She didn't know what to say. Of course she wanted to take things further with Jake! Was he kidding? He was the most gorgeous human she had ever seen, AND he was her boyfriend. But, she was just 18 and still in high school. She knew she and Jake would be together for the rest of their lives and that gave her comfort, and confidence that she'd made the right choice for that moment. The trouble was, she didn't know how long her resolve would hold out now that the man she loved was back in her life full time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Christmas holidays had been glorious. They had spent nearly every waking moment together over the break. Their conversation that day had been all the fuel either of them needed to rekindle their relationship. Most of their time was spent at the mansion. She had even set up in a spare room so he wouldn't have to make the hour-long drive every day to see her. They steered clear of Ian and Cara most days, only bumping into them on occasion. Their favorite place to be was the library. Amy and Mr. McIntyre had painstakingly worked to recreate Grace's library after the fire. Amy had added many new titles to the volumes already in place and Jake was mesmerized by the choices. Most days they threw a bunch of large down-filled pillows on the Persian rug and Jake would lean against the couch, while Amy would rest her head in his lap and they would both read for hours. Every once in a while, one or the other would spout out some fascinating tidbit from their respective books, discuss it briefly, then fall back into comfortable silence.

She still thought of Evan from time to time and missed him. She guessed a part of her would always feel that way about him. He had been her first love and he was always going to be a hero to her and the others. She finally had come to the realization that Evan would have eventually wanted her to move on with her life, even if he never would. She knew she would never have a chance to repair things with his parents, and for that, she was heartbroken.

School had started back up for the semester and visits with Jake were reserved for the weekends only. Amy and Dan would make the journey to the Rosenbloom manor right off Harvard square and they would spend all weekend with the boys. It was like they were on the hunt again, just the four of them. There were so many wonderful things to do and see in Boston that they never had a shortage of fun. Jake introduced them to his favorite Indian restaurant and Atticus gave them a guided tour of the famous Revolutionary War sites within walking distance of their home. Their father, Mark Rosenbloom, was still on his dig, so they watched out for each other. There was always a little time each weekend for Amy and Jake to sneak off and be alone. Sometimes it was just walking hand in hand around the Peabody Museum where Dr. Rosenbloom had expanded the collection significantly, other times it was snuggling on the couch in the den and watching a movie. Amy admitted to herself that she rarely ever remembered these movie plots as she and Jake were often preoccupied. This thought made her blush.

Time was drawing close for her to decide on a university to attend in the fall. Applications were due soon and she had decided where she wanted to attend. She didn't think Jake would like her choice. He had naturally assumed she would attend Harvard with him. Amy had her sights set a little closer to home.

One weekend in March, before Spring Break, Amy got her answer. She had decided to travel to Cambridge on her own without Dan. She had a letter in her hand and wanted to deliver the news to Jake in person. She reread the letter several times on the hour-long drive from Attleboro to the Rosenbloom Manor. Before long, she had arrived. She thanked her driver and opened the passenger side door of the car at the same time Jake emerged from the front door; he had been waiting for her.

He was wearing dark blue jeans that fit him just right, a gray half-zip fisherman's sweater with a red polo underneath and his hair was perfectly coiffed. He looked like he had just walked out of an LL Bean catalogue.

Amy set down her overnight bag on the circle drive just as he reached her.

"Hello gorgeous," Jake said wrapping his arms around her waist, Amy replied with, "Right back at ya'" They held a delicate kiss for what seemed a long time, but all too soon it was over.

Amy waved her driver away as Jake picked up her bag. They linked fingers as they walked up the front steps.

"I had your room cleaned this week, thought it might be nice for you to have fresh linens in there," Jake said.

Amy stopped and looked at him quizzically, "YOU thought?"

"Well, I guarantee it wasn't Atticus who was thinking about your hygiene." Jake retorted.

Amy and Jake had a familiar pattern to their lives by now. Monday through Friday they lived their separate lives in their respective cities, but Friday through Sunday, one of them would make the journey to see the other. Sometimes Att and Dan were involved, sometimes not. They had 48 glorious hours together before they had to part and say their all-too familiar phrase, "_fino a venerdì_", which Jake had said to her one of their first Sunday's to part. He had said it was Italian for, 'until Friday'.

They had talked some about Amy's plans in the fall, but Jake never did take her seriously when she mentioned that she was exploring several options for school. His family had such strong ties to Harvard that he couldn't imagine why she'd look elsewhere. Amy had two very strong reasons: Grace and her mother, Hope.

Jake and Amy found their way to the back of the manor to the kitchen. Amy hopped up on the granite island that ran the length of the room and began to swing her legs. Jake made his way to the fridge and took out two seltzer waters and poured them over ice. Amy liked watching him do mundane tasks. It gave her a chance to really study his features. He was so beautiful with that striking chiseled jaw. He caught her watching him and smiled.

"You're doing it again, Ames" he laughed.

"I can't help it, you're much too attractive for your own good," she smiled.

"I'm not, 'a hottie that knows he's a hottie, thereby cancelling the hotness out?'" He joked. This was a phrase she had thrown at him early on before they even were dating. Apparently, it had made an impression on him.

"It depends on your mood, quite frankly"

"Oh, is that so?" he joked. "And what's my mood right now?"

"Well, great, but I wonder what it will be in a few minutes." She said waving the envelope in her hand.

Jake set her water down beside her on the counter and stood in front of her knees as she unfolded the letter.

She began to read:

_Dear Miss Cahill, _

_We are delighted and honored to have received your application to Brown University. We at the admissions office knew your grandmother and mother well and were saddened to hear of their passing. We were honored that you desired to continue the Cahill tradition of an education at Brown. Similarly, we are delighted to announce that you have been accepted as an undergraduate student for the fall term._

_We look forward to meeting you at orientation on August 23__rd__._

_Sincerely,_

_Christina Paxson_

_President_

_Brown University_

Amy lowered the letter and looked at Jake. He had a very blank expression on his face. It was hard to read.

"Well, what do you think?" Amy asked with trepidation.

"I think we have a lot more '_fino a venerdì_ ahead of us," he said with a sigh. He put his hands on her thighs and leaned his forehead against hers. "I was really hoping we'd be together this next chapter Ames."

Amy had a lump in her throat. Disappointing Jake was worse than making him mad, but before she could even say anything, it was like he could sense her unease.

"I understand why you want to go there. It's tradition for your family, just like Harvard is for my family," he said lifting his head.

"Providence is only a little past Attleboro, it's not like I'm going to Stanford or Northwestern. You'll be able to see me as often as we are now." Amy said with a small smile.

"Yeah" Jake said, looking at Amy with a longing look. Amy blushed.

Lately, whenever she was with Jake, the urge for him was stronger. She could tell he felt it too. She also knew he would never push her for more than she was comfortable with, and so far, she was just not ready for more with Jake. Not to say she was all prim and proper and nun-like. I mean, he was gorgeous and she did love kissing him. Their 'movie' dates in the den generally were just long make out sessions. Occasionally, she'd let Jake's hand travel over her clothes-but never under.

"Come on, let's go walk. I want to get in as much Amy time as I can this weekend."

That evening, when they parted for bed, they spent a long time in the kitchen. Amy had hopped back up on the counter, her favorite t-shirt and shorts as pajamas. Jake had been standing between her knees, leaning on the counter. His kisses were so sweet this evening. Amy really didn't want this night to end. She even said so.

"Jake, can't we just freeze time, like this, just the two of us?"

"Hmmm" was all Jake said. His head leaned against Amy's. His eyes were closed and she could tell he was tired. His hands were resting on the counter, just behind her back. Her urge to climb the stairs with him and just go to bed with him was the strongest it had ever been. "_It would be so easy_" she told herself. "_We're heading down this road anyway, it's going to happen sooner or later. He's waiting on my signal. What is the hold up?_" She couldn't pinpoint it, but she just wasn't ready. She roused him, kissed him one final time and left for the guest room. Jake moaned as he trudged upstairs; He was so tired.

As Amy headed to the guest room, she passed a family photo of Mark, Astrid, Jake and Atticus from about 5 years ago. A pang of jealousy hit her squarely in the face. "_I don't have one single family photo. Not one. Cahills are supposed to be the most powerful family in history, but we can't stop fighting long enough to keep ourselves alive, much less sit for a decent family photo."_

She sighed. She wished, not for the first time, that she had her mother to talk to. That's when it hit her: Nellie. She needed to call Nellie.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Amy headed back to Attleboro the next day. She and Jake were so comfortable with each other. After they both woke the next day, neither of them bothered to get dressed until well past noon. They just traipsed around the house, looking like they had just woken up all morning long.

At long last, when the sun was beginning to fade, Amy's car appeared in the drive. She and Jake walked hand in hand down the stone steps. Amy handed her bag to the driver and turned to Jake.

There was a comfortable silence as they stared at each other. They were so in tune with each other that they didn't need to say anything sometimes. They just 'got' each other.

Finally, Jake spoke, "Ames, my dad is coming home next month. He called Att and I a few days ago. I forgot to mention it to you earlier. I'd like for you to meet him."

Amy's face was stoic; she knew Mark Rosenbloom didn't like her. "Ok" was all she said. Jake picked up on her apprehension.

"It'll be OK. Don't worry. He'll love you." Jake said with his winning smile, but he looked a little unsure behind it.

"Jake, your father doesn't like me. I already know that." Amy said taking his hand.

"Well, he used to think that. A lot of time has passed. He knows we're dating." Jake paused, "He knows I love you," he added.

"Maybe, but he blames me for all the trouble you and Att have been in, and, I'm sure he associates my family with Astrid's death." Amy sighed.

"Don't worry about it Ames, I'm going to have him singing your praises before he leaves-you'll see." Jake said drawing her in for a long kiss.

That evening, Amy disappeared into her bedroom, sat on the bed and dialed Nellie's number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Kiddo!" Nellie said in her familiar accent.

"Hi Nellie, how are you?" Amy said smiling into the phone.

"I'm, like, sooo good. Sammie and I are having drinks at this amazing pub along the Rue de Lyon. Amazing." She said. She continued to talk about her craft beer experience, mentioning words like 'hops' and 'licorice' and Amy was pretty sure she heard 'barrel-aged.'

"That's nice Nellie," Amy paused. Nellie could sense Amy had something on her mind.

"What is it Ames?" Nellie finally said. "Is everything alright?"

Amy proceeded to launch into everything, letting is spill out of her mouth like a volcano. She told Nellie about being accepted into Brown and how great things were with Jake and how much she loved him, but she couldn't figure out why she was so hesitant to take their relationship to the next level. She also mentioned that Jake's father was coming back home for a time next month and how he felt about Amy and all Cahills in general.

Once she was done, she sat and listened to silence on the other end.

"Nellie, are you still there?" Amy asked with slight alarm on her face.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm just trying to process everything you just barfed out." Nellie said slowly.

Amy smiled and waited for Nellie to speak.

"Whoa, ok. You have a lot on your mind, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I do." Amy sighed. It was so good talking with Nellie. She would give her the right advice.

"Well, for starters, congrats on Brown. You'll love it there. I'm coming to your graduation, so don't even think about not inviting me." Nellie teased.

"As far as Jake goes, it's a big deal to become intimate with another person. Don't feel strange about wanting to wait awhile with Jake, that's completely normal. I know you love him, and so does he, which is why it's such a good idea to wait. Listen, you two have big plans with each other. You'll be off on some artifact hunt 10 years from now, hand-in-hand as the 'Rosen-cahills for hire', or something like that. Neither of you is going to even think about this time in your lives again. Sleep with him now, or 4 months from now, it doesn't matter in the long run. You two are destined for each other-"

At these words, Amy blushed. I guess Dan was right, everyone could see it. That made Amy have a glimmer of hope for Jake's father to see it too.

Nellie went on, "but, there are some practical aspects of your relationship with Jake that you need to plan for." Nellie got a little smile in her voice with the next words. "Any time you swap bodily fluids with anyone, you had better have a plan!"

Amy turned purple but smiled. This was the Nellie she loved. "I know, I know, and we've discussed this. You won't believe it, but Jake…actually…his mom made him…get a vasectomy."

"WHAT?" was Nellie's only reply.

"I know, that was my reaction too, but listen. Jake's mother was the most amazing woman. She had extremely honest talks with her sons about everything, including women's reproductive rights. She taught them that birth control should always be a man's job. So, she told them that as soon as they turned 18, they needed to go get a vasectomy until they were ready to be fathers, at which point, they would have it reversed, only to have it repeated at some point down the line when they were done. Jake's father had this very thing done, so he's been a good role model for both boys." Amy finished with a smile, thinking about these conversations she and Jake had.

"Whoa, that is one bad-ass feminist raising sons. I love their mother! I can't wait to meet her!" Nellie said with excitement.

Amy's voice turned sad, "You can't-she's dead. Killed by Vesper 1 three years ago."

Nellie was quiet.

"Nellie, what do you think I should do? I mean, we have the whole, 'bodily-fluids' thing figured out." Amy asked.

Nellie's voice was quiet and calming when she spoke, "Then Amy, you have to just trust your gut. It won't steer you wrong. Your instincts are top-notch kiddo. If you have hesitation in your gut, then trust it. I'm sure when the time is right, your hesitation will disappear."

Nellie continued, "As far as Jake's dad is concerned, I'm starting to think your hesitation with Jake and meeting his father may be related."

This was something Amy hadn't considered. Maybe Nellie was right. Maybe Amy's reluctance to be sensual with Jake stemmed from the implications that it meant they were headed down a much more permanent path together? What if that path was stopped by his father? What if that path was impeded upon by a man whom Jake admired and looked up to, but disliked to the point of contempt toward Jake's one true love? Now it was Amy's turn to be quiet.

Nellie said, "Ames, what are you thinking?"

"I see what you're saying. It makes sense. I think Jake and I are going to end up together in the long run, so it makes sense that I'm worried about his father's opinion of me. I mean, this is my potential future father-in-law." Amy said this last part while being alarmed at that phrase. She wasn't ready to think of that!

"Exactly" Nellie said. "But, kiddo, you can't spend too much of your time worried about what future in-laws might think. You'll go crazy if you do."

"Ok, you're right. I just have to be myself when I meet him." Amy said.

"Yep, that's right. I mean, take Sammie's parents: do you think they wanted their Egyptian son to fall in love with a Mexican-American with pink hair?" Nellie said laughing, "Hell no, they wanted him to find some modern-day Nefertiti. But, that's not what they got. We're good though. The main thing is, they figured out that I love Sammie and he loves me. They just want their son to be happy, you know?" Nellie added as an afterthought, "I know Mark Rosenbloom will want that for his son too."

Amy sighed. Nellie had a way of cutting through all the chatter to get to the heart of the matter. Amy smiled.

"Thanks Nellie, I can always count on you to help me see things the right way." Amy said

"You're doing the right thing kiddo, don't doubt yourself. You have the most amazing instincts of anyone I've ever met. You'll be fine. Keep me posted, OK? I want to know how this all shakes out."

Amy said goodbye and then clicked the phone off. She sat there in silence staring at the phone, trying to process everything Nellie had said. It all made sense.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Two weeks before Amy's high school graduation she found herself behind the wheel driving herself and Dan up to Cambridge for what seemed the millionth time. This time was different however, they were going to meet Jake and Atticus' dad, Dr. Mark Rosenbloom, renowned archeologist who was home from his work in Indonesia. He had been secretive with Jake and Atticus about why he was coming home, but never-the-less, today was the day.

"I hope this doesn't take too long," Dan said from the passenger seat.

"Dan, I'm sure it'll be fine. You don't have anything to worry about. You and Atticus barely have to pay attention if you want." Amy said helpfully.

"Are you kidding me? Atticus is going to be all ears. He hasn't seen his dad in half a year, and he idolizes the dude." Dan said, adding, "I should have brought my micro headphones so I could play on my phone under the table and nobody would know."

"Right Dan, because seeing a teenager stare at his lap under the table is new and not suspicious at all." Amy said rolling her eyes.

"Well, it'll be better than watching you squirm in your seat while Dr. Rosenbloom gives you the eye." Dan snapped back.

Amy was worried about today's visit. The last thing she had heard from Jake's father was his desire for his children to get as far away from Dan and Amy as possible and never look back. Now the four of them were basically inseparable. Dan or Atticus would hitch a ride with their older sibling when the two of them met up each weekend. It was like the two younger boys were brothers now.

Amy and Jake were something entirely different. They had realized they were deeply in love with each other and the last 6 months had been nothing short of bliss.

Amy stopped the car in front of the Rosenbloom manor. Dan was humming along to one of his favorite songs as he got out. Amy got out and was instantly scooped up and spun around by someone she couldn't see. She had been grabbed from behind. She was about to elbow her attacker in the eye when she heard his voice. "There you are."

Jake set her down and she spun around to face him. He smiled at her and kissed her. She kissed him back.

"Barf-barf, barf, barf," Dan sang in time to Mendelsohn's wedding march. "Come on you two love birds."

Amy smiled at Jake and led his hand into the house.

"Ok, everyone, Dad wants to meet us at _Benedetto_ in 30 minutes. We can make it there on foot by then, so let's go."

Atticus and Dan walked ahead of Jake and Amy, while they locked hands and walked closely to the restaurant. Amy had butterflies in her stomach.

"And you really don't have any idea why he wants to meet at this restaurant? Any reason why he's coming home from his dig?" Amy said fishing for any clues. "Are you really sure Dan and I should be here for this? I mean, he doesn't exactly like either of us."

Jake smiled at her, "Nope to the first one, yep to the second."

Jake said. "You'll win him over in no time. If I recall, I wasn't exactly your biggest fan when we first met either. I thought you were on a suicide mission and had a serious death wish. I didn't want anything to do with you. Now, I can't get enough of you." Amy blushed.

They chose a table on the patio near the sidewalk, it was just now 5:00, and their father would be there any moment. Amy looked around nervously.

"Just try to relax", Jake said reaching over to hold Amy's hand. At that moment, Amy spotted someone she never expected to see again. Her mouth dropped open.

Jake, having missed this entirely, thought her reaction was to his words. "Really, Amy, I promise, in a few weeks, you'll have a new fan. He'll love you almost as much as I do."

"LaCher?" Amy whispered. "LaCher Siffrite?"

"Jake followed her gaze and spotted the famous Voyniche scholar who had nearly been killed with them in Brazil a year and a half earlier. She was standing next to a distinguished middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair.

"Dad!" cried Jake, rising from his chair.

"DAD!" Atticus echoed.

Amy let out a big slow breath and glanced at Dan. He looked almost as miserable as she did. They made eye-contact and gave each other a small smile. They knew what was coming wouldn't be pleasant.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mark Rosenbloom walked up to the table, LaCher following close behind. Amy and Dan rose to meet them. _He was attractive for an older guy_, Amy thought. Jake had inherited his father's good looks.

LaCher spotted Amy and Dan and gave them a slight nod. Amy wanted to run over to her and ask her how she had survived the knife attack and how she ended up here!

Hugs were passed between all three Rosenblooms while Amy, Dan and LaCher looked on. Jake grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her over to his father,

"Dad, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Amy Cahill. Amy, this is my dad, Mark." Jake said smiling between them both.

Amy politely put out her hand and Mr. Rosenbloom obligingly shook it. He said a gruff, "nice to meet you," but there was nothing nice on his face. He had a look of pure loathing on his features.

"And this is her brother and my best friend, Dan Cahill," said Atticus smiling broadly at Dan. At least Mark Rosenbloom lightened his scowl for a moment looking at how happy his youngest son was to announce his 'best friend' to his father. He knew how hard it was for Atticus to make and keep friends.

"Jake, I need to speak with you…now." Mark said with a strained look on his face. Jake smiled at Amy, but her sense of foreboding was strong. Amy glanced at Dan nervously. Dan looked just as nervous and uncomfortable. They both watched as Jake and his father moved just out of earshot, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what they were saying.

Jake was gesticulating with his hands and his father was shaking his head and pointing at Jake. Once, he even pointed at Amy and Dan. Amy was vascilating between watching Jake and eyeing Dan. Dan did the same. They both felt the uncomfortable level rising at the table. No one was speaking; all eyes fixed on father and son. LaCher gave a tiny uncomfortable smile to the Cahill siblings and attempted to make small talk, but it fell flat. Atticus didn't know what to do, he was half raised out of his seat, like he wanted to go stop Jake and his father.

"Amy, I think we should leave," whispered Dan.

Amy's face had gone hot and she was growing more embarrassed by the second. "I agree, let's go."

Without another look back, Amy followed Dan over to the railing on the patio and hopped over it. Once on the sidewalk, they both took off at a jog. Silent tears were streaming down Amy's cheeks. This had not gone at all like she had hoped. Dan made one quick look back, catching Atticus' shocked expression. Dan gave him a sad smile and a little wave, as if to say 'it was our only choice.'

30 minutes later, they were back in their car, headed for the mansion. Amy had to drive as Dan was still not old enough, but she would have given anything to just zone out and cry her way home.

Dan broke the silence, "What's the deal with that guy? I mean, we've had lots of people hate us in the past, but at least they had a reason for hating us-they wanted to kill us!"

Amy didn't say anything. She was numb. All she could think about was the way Jake was fighting with his father, no doubt, sticking up for her, but failing. What did this mean for them?

"I don't get it. Wasn't he supposed to be cool?" Dan continued.

"No, Dan, he's always disliked us. I guess all those attempts on Atticus' life and Vesper 1 killing Astrid didn't exactly endear him to us. Now, all he thinks when he sees us, is all the trouble we've caused and how dangerous we are." Amy said with a sigh.

Dan's phone pinged. He had a text from Atticus.

It read:_ Hey Dan, I'm so sorry you left. My dad and Jake just had an epic fight; thought you might want to hear this. I didn't think to record until they were about done, but I got the important stuff. It'll be OK. Jake's on his way to Attleboro right now. Chao._

Amy looked over in alarm, "Jake's on his way?"

Dan shrugged and tapped the audio file and put the phone on speaker. It was distant, like Atticus was recording from the top of the stairs, but they could make out what both men were saying:

_"__I DON'T CARE THAT YOU'RE BOTH ALRIGHT! THAT'S NOT THE POINT! You could have died, Atticus very nearly died. I don't care what a guardian is or does, Astrid died at the hands of these maniacs and as far as I'm concerned all of the Cahills are just as guilty!_

_What are you talking about? Amy and Dan had nothing, NOTHING, to do with mom's death. In fact, is was Att who figured out Dave Spiminer was really Damian Vesper. If we hadn't met Amy and Dan we would have never put two and two together and we would have never known what happened to mom! I was there when Damian Vesper's machine was destroyed. I watched him die!_

_YOU WERE THERE?! WAS ATTICUS? Where the hell have you two been? It sounds like you've been globetrotting with these, these, Cahills! I watched them on TV, they're nothing but spoiled trust fund kids with an ax to grind apparently. Did you see what they did to Pierce? They've ruined his life!_

(Jake was quiet for a long time, when he finally spoke again he was calm)

_Dad, you don't know the whole story. Pierce tried to kill Amy and Dan several times for knowledge they possess. Amy almost died trying to stop him. In fact, if I hadn't been there, she'd be dead right now._

_Huh, yeah right. Jake, I don't know what's gotten into you. First you start acting all reckless and putting your brother's life in danger, then you start defending the Cahills! What's next? Tattoos all over and joining a biker gang? Come on son!_

_Dad, I love you, and you are rarely mistaken, but on this one, you are dead wrong. You won't even give me a chance to explain. You've already made up your mind! _

(Jake paused for a few moments)

_It comes down to this Dad: you put so much responsibility on my shoulders. I've basically raised my little brother since mom died and I've done it happily. I love Atticus and I'd take a bullet for him, but you need to trust me. I haven't gone rogue. Amy and Dan are worth trusting. They are worth listening to, and dad…I love Amy. I love her with every fiber of my being. I've never met anyone like her before. Like it or not, she's your future daughter-in-law__. _(Amy sucked in a short breath_) __So you better get used to seeing us together, because we're going to spend every possible second together for the rest of our lives!"_

The recording stopped. Amy couldn't breathe. Dan was speechless. The emotion of the recording was palpable. Amy couldn't take it. She swerved the car toward the upcoming off ramp, careened to the bottom of it and threw the car into park along the shoulder. Then, she cried. She let the sobs rack her body. Dan reached over and put both hands around his sister's shoulders and held on tight. He was feeling the strain too, but listening to Jake defy his father and defend Amy was pretty amazing, Dan had to admit. He really did love her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When Amy and Dan got to Grace's mansion, Jake was already waiting for them. He must have passed them on the highway when they had pulled over.

Amy and Jake's reunion was something out of a rom-com. They both got out of their cars and ran full tilt at each other, crashing together and sort of melting into one shape; hard to distinguish where one ended and another began. Dan watched with a mixture of empathy, admiration and disgust. It was hard to ignore though, how much they cared for each other.

As grossed out Dan had been with Amy and Evan's relationship, her relationship with Jake was something else entirely. It was like, more grown up, more mature somehow. He just couldn't picture Amy and Jake sitting on the front porch cooing to each other about how great the other one was. Amy had outgrown that and the love she had for Jake was the 'you're-it-no-tag-backs' kind. Dan turned and went into the mansion smiling.

"Amy, I am so, so sorry." Jake muttered into Amy's hair as he stood holding her, one hand tight on her back, the other grasping the back of her head. "I feel terrible. My dad and I fought for a long time. I finally left, I had to get out of there."

"I heard what you said to him Jake," Amy said pulling away from his shoulder, where she had been crying. "Atticus sent us the audio file."

Jake's eyes went wide. "He recorded our fight? And sent it to you?"

Amy wiped away a tear and told Jake the whole story about the text and listening to it in the car, about having to pull over and crying with Dan. Jake's expression softened as he listened. When Amy was finished, she searched his eyes for his reaction. Jake had a forgiving expression on his face and he used both thumbs to wipe tears away from Amy's eyes.

"I'm glad you heard it. I meant every word," He said. Then his face grew quizzical, "Amy, I've been assuming you feel the same way, but I guess I need to know. Is this what you want?"

Now it was Amy's turn to soften her expression. "Jake, I've loved you ever since Timbuktu, maybe even before. I think about you non-stop and I can't imagine life without you. When we're apart, I think of you and wonder what you're doing. When we're together, I want time to stop. I never realized how much I need you to be strong for me. I spend all my time being strong for the Cahill family and it was you who convinced me that I needed somebody strong to count on. Jake, I love you."

A wide grin spread over his face and he took a big gulp of air and slowly raised up to his full height, enveloping Amy in his embrace. The dying light outside made the landscape appear orange. Amy's hair glimmered in the light and a few errant strands drifted up to cross Jake's face; he welcomed their presence. The girl of his dreams was in his arms and she had just told him she loved and needed him.

Late that night, long after Dan had gone upstairs, Jake and Amy lay on the couch in the family room, some non-descript movie on the cinema screen. Jake was propped up on his left elbow, facing Amy and Amy was stretched out on her stomach, facing him. He was playing with a long strand of her golden-brown hair. They had been silent for some time now, just thinking about all that had happened that evening. Finally, something occurred to Amy.

"Jake, why was LaCher Siffrite there tonight?" Amy asked quizzically.

Jake raised one eyebrow, "It appears she and Dad have a thing going on."

Amy furrowed her brow, "You mean, they're dating?" She raised her eyes in surprise.

"It seems so. Evidently after we left her, the hospital reached out to the university for assistance locating a next-of-kin. Mom was listed as her emergency contact," Jake said.

Dawning comprehension crossed Amy's face, "So, when they couldn't reach Astrid, they tried her alternative numbers until they reached someone; your dad."

Jake nodded. "Dad's Portuguese is rusty so he didn't fully comprehend what the doctor was saying, but he knew it had something to do with Mom, us and a critical wound. He jumped on a plane that night and tried to get to the bottom of it."

Jake continued, "When he got to the hospital, he figured out it was mom's friend, LaCher who was hurt, not any of us. He knew LaCher from polite circles at the university. He stayed out of courtesy to her and mom's friendship. All those days spent together at the hospital must have led to something. They really do have a lot in common. Plus, I'm sure mom would be happy they aren't alone anymore. She's been gone three years now."

"And, eventually she regained her ability to speak?" Amy asked.

"Well, sort of. She stayed almost two weeks in the hospital before they released her. She and dad had been communicating by written note once she regained consciousness. It was a further two months of therapy before she could speak. Even LaCher doesn't really understand why those Vesper goons were after her. This is part of the reason he was so mad tonight. He hasn't been able to get a complete story out of LaCher, and Att and I have been out of contact for so long that he was really hoping to get the full scoop."

"Well, then wouldn't he want Dan and me around to help clarify? Why was he so mad to see us? I would have thought he'd be glad to finally hear it from the horses' mouth!" Amy said exasperatedly.

"I think it was more that we had surprised him with you," Jake sighed. "I asked the same question at the house and he admitted he really did want to question you." Jake sighed, "He was pushing me pretty hard to find out what Atticus and I have been doing with you and Dan the last two years. But, I knew that his questions had to be answered by none other than the head of the family," Jake said giving Amy an apologetic smile.

"I'm not the head, not anymore, that's Ian." Amy replied with a matter-of-fact look. "But, I get it. I'm the only one who can fill him in," she added when she saw the irritated look on Jake's face.

Amy was quiet, looking across the room. She was thinking.

"I know what you're thinking Amy, I've been a part of Cahill business long enough to know that look. You're not sure how much to tell him."

"That's right." She said looking up. Jake opened his mouth to reply, but Amy continued, "I know what _you're_ thinking: If you and I are…" Amy trailed off.

"Dating? Soulmates? Destined for each other? Inseparable? Nauseating," Jake said with a playful smile on his face.

Amy blushed and laughed, "Yes, those things. Then why not tell him the whole story?"

Jake said giving a small shrug, "That is the general idea. Maybe you don't have to tell him everything. I mean, even I don't know everything."

Amy was already shaking her head, "Jake, he already doesn't like us, I think giving him sensitive information would just be knowledge in the wrong hands. If it came down to extracting info from him, he wouldn't be too hard to crack."

"Then tell him only what he needs to hear" replied Jake.

"That's the problem, we've been together for so long now and had so many different, horrible, experiences that nearly claimed all our lives, that I don't know what to tell him and not tell him!"

Jake sat up and was quiet; thinking. "Ok, he needs to know about the Vespers" Jake said beginning to tick off a list on his fingers. "He needs to know they killed mom, and I'm sure LaCher has already told him what she knows about the 74th folio and the chase for it. I told him that mom's death was due to Damian Vesper, not some mysterious illness. He'll be willing to listen to this part."

"But, how do I explain the Vespers without explaining the centuries old feud?" Amy asked sitting up to face Jake, tucking her right leg underneath her.

"Just explain it like you did to me; there is an ancient feud between your family and the Vespers and Damian Vesper wanted to create a doomsday device and he made you-I mean us-gather his materials or he'd kill hostages." Jake said matter-of-factly.

"Jake, you realize that telling anything like this to your dad won't make him have less anxiety about me, it will raise it. If the goal is to give him the big picture, it may mean he never trusts me," Amy said with worry in her voice.

"That's a risk we'll just have to take. It helped me Amy. It helped me understand why you and Dan do the things you do." Jake said, adding, "it made me really respect you both. And, I fell in love with you for it."

"Well, I don't expect your dad to fall in love with me." Amy said with a smile.

Jake laughed, "No, probably not, but maybe having LaCher there will help him see things in a different light. Plus, he already knows how I feel about you, and that I'm not giving up on us."

Amy liked that last part, _us_.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning, Amy, Jake and Dan all returned to Cambridge to face Mark Rosenbloom. Jake had called Atticus to tip him off that they were coming and see what he could do to prepare their dad for their eventual discussion. Everyone had agreed that Atticus had the best shot at warming their father up to Amy and Dan's presence.

Like a trooper, Atticus had been talking his father's ear off for an hour and a half, regaling story after story of how great Dan was at video games and how he had become such good friends with him. He made a special point to stay away from anything having to do with their physical adventures the last two years. He knew that would only raise questions Atticus couldn't answer without Amy being there.

When the three finally arrived, Jake, Atticus, Amy, Dan, Mark and LaCher all sat around the dining room table. Amy felt butterflies in her stomach. Jake must have sensed this and squeezed her hand under the table.

Dr. Rosenbloom began, eyeing Amy first, "Thank you all for coming. I want to start by apologizing for my little display at the restaurant last night. I should have handled things differently, and I'm sorry."

Amy thought this was a good sign to start with. Maybe his fight with Jake last night had given him time to think. She knew it certainly had on her end.

He continued, "I asked you all here today to help get to the bottom of something that has been bothering me for quite a while, actually, a lot of things that have been bothering me."

Amy glanced over at Dan. He gave her a small nod, as if to say _we got this sis', it'll be OK. _

"I realize I've been out of the picture for Jake and Atticus for a time, but I've heard snippets from both of them and I have snippets from LaCher about what's been happening, but I want the whole story from start to finish."

Amy took a deep breath, looked Mark Rosenbloom right in the eye and began: "Doctor Rosenbloom, you have the right to know what's been happening, but it is not a short story, nor an easy one. Your sons have been an invaluable part of my family's struggles with the Vespers, a secretive organization that your very family has a long history with. Your wife, Astrid, was the last of a long line of Guardians, a special elite group of people tasked with the preservation and concealment of a deadly doomsday device originally designed by Archimedes himself."

Amy looked over at Atticus, who was beaming, "Now, that task falls to Atticus, Astrid's son. He is the final guardian and he did his job admirably. Damian Vesper kidnapped 10 members of my family and held them hostage, threatening to kill them one by one if we didn't produce the items he desired to make this device. We did not know at the time why he needed these items. It was Atticus' hints along the way and the snippets of memories he had of Astrid that we were able to eventually piece together what his master plan was and try to stop it. The device was built right here in North America along a subduction zone and if it had been fully activated, would have caused catastrophic global disaster."

Amy continued, "Damian Vesper and all the Vespers before him were at war with my family, they had been for centuries. The Vespers wanted…something that the Cahills possess, but has now been destroyed, never to be made again."

Amy gave a meaningful look at Dan who looked right back at her. The serum. Dan possessed the only recipe knowledge. His photographic memory unable to delete this plague.

"Dave Speminer, also known as Damian Vesper, knew Astrid was a guardian and wormed his way into her confidence, only so he would be positioned to administer a very rare poison to her. That is why she died, and it is the same reason he tried to kill Atticus. Jake worked tirelessly to protect Atticus, not endanger him."

At this, Amy turned to look at Jake. He was grinning at her. He bumped her thigh with his under the table and gave her hand a squeeze.

Atticus took over for her, "Dad, mom's final words to me were 'stay friends with Dan Cahill.' I thought she just wanted me to have a friend, but now I know she was trying to get an aly for me in the fight against the Vespers. She knew the Cahills would help end this once and for all. I owe my life to Dan and Amy…and Jake of course."

Jake caught his brother's eye and gave him a nod and a wink. Atticus smiled broadly and continued, "LaCher came into the fray when we decoded some of mom's emails to her and figured out LaCher had to be living in Brazil, AND that she had found a page of the Voynich."

Dan took over, "What we didn't realize was that we were being followed by Vespers and they caught up to us at a restaurant on our one and only night with LaCher. She took a knife to the throat in order to save Atticus' life. We couldn't stay around you LaCher for fear of endangering your life further."

LaCher Siffrite unconsciously reached up and touched the scar on her throat where the knife had sliced her. Dr. Rosenbloom looked over at her with concern on his face. She turned to him and gave a small smile. She had sacrificed herself in order to save his son.

"Did you really do that?" he asked her. "Did you really put yourself in front of a knife for my son?"

LaCher spoke with a raspy voice that none of them had really listened closely to before now. She didn't sound the same as she did in Brazil two years ago. "Yes, but I think I had been followed before you four showed up, at least, that's what my gut told me." The table was silent listening to her, "I knew what I had found was very valuable, which is why I tried to get it away from populated areas. The problem was, I never could shake the suspicion I was being watched. When you kids showed up digging around for the folio, I thought I had found my mystery followers. Little did I know you were being hunted yourselves."

It was Mark Rosenbloom's turn to speak, "Let me get this straight, Astrid was a guardian to a horrible secret that Dave Speminer was trying to make a doomsday device and he killed her to protect that secret? And then he went after Atticus, critically wounding LaCher in the process, and still getting you Cahills to gather all of his materials for him under threat of death if you didn't?"

"Pretty much," Dan said as all the rest of them silently nodded around the table.

"Well, please excuse the obvious question, but why in God's name didn't you get the authorities involved?" Dr. Rosenbloom fairly shouted.

It was Jake's turn to answer, "Dad, would you have believed anything you just heard of you were the feds, and a group of 4 teenagers waltzed into your office?"

It was Dr. Rosenbloom's turn to nod appreciatively, "I see what you mean, no, I wouldn't have. You could at least have come to me with this, I could have helped you!"

Jake took on a look of steel, "I tried coming to you. I tried coming to you several times, but you didn't want to hear it. You were convinced I was being reckless and girl-crazy."

Amy stared at Dr. Rosenbloom. She could feel Jake's spine straighten as he plowed on. "Amy's story doesn't stop here. Last year, J. Rutherford Pierce got ahold of Amy's family's secret and used it against her and Dan. He smeared their name in the papers and on TV, discrediting their work and accomplishments, painting them with a broad brush as spoiled, self-centered, entitled brats. He did a lot of damage to the Cahill name. Amy, Dan, Atticus and I had to find a way to stop him from taking over the world. He very nearly was president and he had horrible plans for several cities to be destroyed by nuclear devices. It was only the Cahill family working quickly together to disarm his nukes. Now he's rotting in a federal prison somewhere and can't harm anyone ever again."

LaCher looked stunned, "Is this true?"

Amy nodded solemnly, "Yes, Pierce was angry at my family because my mother spurned him a long time ago. Apparently, he never got over his heartbreak and vowed to get back at the Cahill family, in specific, Dan and me. Again, without Jake and Atticus, we would never have survived. Dan and I owe our very lives to your sons. They've become family to us."

Amy looked over at Jake. He pulled their clasped hands out from under the table and placed them in plain sight. He gave her a long stare, full of meaning and she looked right back. Even Ted Starling, who was blind, could have seen the intense love between these two. Everyone at the table felt it, it was unmistakable.

Finally, Mark Rosenbloom cleared his throat, "hmm, hmm, well, that clears up quite a bit. Thank you. I still feel like I'm not being told the whole story, but I have enough to go on now that I can move forward."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dr. Mark Rosenbloom had buried both of his wives. He might not have been the unluckiest man at love, but he had certainly had his share of heartache. After Astrid Rosenbloom had died, he had retreated into his work. At the time, Jake was a semester away from graduating high school and Atticus was a 10-year-old, with the intellect of a Rhodes Scholar. Mark had made plans for his sons to spend a year in Rome studying at the University and he knew that Jake would watch out for Atticus. It had been hard being away from his sons, but he knew he was in no position to care for them. Not for the first time he was grateful that Jake was 7 years older than Atticus.

Tonight's discussion as a family was a long time coming. He had needed to talk with them and now was as good a time as any.

He deliberately paused to look at each person around the table. When he spoke, every word was measured.

"Atticus, I'm proud of you. You've grown up a lot since your mother's death. You remind me so much of your mother. You got all of her good qualities and none of my bad ones. You're the best version of both of us. I can't keep thinking of you as a scared 10-year-old. You've accomplished great things and I know you will continue to do that with Jake, Amy and Dan's help."

Atticus beamed first at his father, then at Dan, who gave him a fist bump.

"Dan, Astrid knew what she was doing when she fostered a friendship between you and Atticus. I can see now what your friendship means to him. I don't claim to understand Cahill life, but the least I can do is respect it. If not for you, then for Astrid. She wanted your friendship with Att, so do I. You are welcome here anytime you want.

Dan was shocked by these kind words. He had not expected them. "Thank you, Dr. Rosenbloom."

"Please, call me Mark," he said.

Next, he rounded on Amy. "Amy, I unfairly judged you. I made assumptions about you. Assumptions that were completely false," at these words, he looked pointedly at Jake, recalling these were the words Jake had spoken to him during their fight. He continued, "You carry the weight of the world on your young shoulders and if there is any way I can help you, I will. It is clear to me, as well as everyone in this room, hell, the whole world that you love my son. I've never seen him like this before. It is clear to me that what you've developed goes beyond simple teenage infatuation." Amy's face reddened, but she forced herself to keep eye contact with Mark. "As I mentioned to your brother, you are welcome here anytime you want. If you need help getting into college, let me know. I have considerable pull around the globe."

Amy gave him her first smile, "thank you Dr. Rosenbloom, uh, I mean, Mark."

Next, he looked at Jake. Father and son just looked at each other for quite some time, neither of them speaking. Finally, Mark spoke, "Jake, I was debating whether to say what I need to say in private, or just say it here. However, seeing as you are all so tightly knit, I dare say anything I'd say to you in private would we broadcast to the rest of the group, so I may as well say it here."

"I was wrong. I was wrong about you, about Amy and about your character. I'm sorry. I should never have doubted you. You've done nothing to indicate your decision-making ability had gone off course. I've asked a lot of you in the last three years and you more than rose to the occasion. I am proud of the man you've become and of the decisions you've made. When you asked to join me at _Gunung Padang,_ I assumed you wanted to learn archeology from me."

At this, Jake looked down and gave a small laugh, shaking his head.

"It didn't take me too long to realize you were running away from girl trouble." Jake looked back up at his father, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Amy, you'll be happy to know Jake had you on his mind from morning to night. He was as love struck as any person I've ever seen. He couldn't remember even the simplest requests and tasks he has performed flawlessly for me on past digs would flummox him. My staff even noticed and at the first opportunity, I graciously told him to go back home."

"Yeah, graciously." Jake said with sarcasm, "he told me I had better pull my head out of the clouds or he'd kick me out of Harvard personally!" This got everyone laughing around the table. "I'm happy to report, my first semester back I'm back up to snuff with my grade point intact." Everyone gave a little ingratiating clap for him.

"And LaCher, last but not least. I wasn't looking for you when I found you." LaCher gave him a loving small smile. "These last few years without Astrid have been hard on all of us. I threw myself into my work, taking on more than I needed just to keep myself busy and away from this house. Every room reminds me of her, and it was easier to just be absent than face my demons. Knowing you knew Astrid so well was one of the reasons I wanted to spend time around you. We had a common bond. I quickly found out why Astrid liked you so much. You are easy to talk to, easy on the eyes, and a good listener. I've had many internal conversations with Astrid these last few months and I think she's at peace. I'm glad you met my boys before you met me. It gave us a lot to talk about."

LaCher grasped Mark's hand and gave it a squeeze, then, she kissed him lightly on the lips. Jake and Atticus got up and walked around to their dad. All three of them stood and hugged for a long moment, nobody speaking. Finally, Mark spoke to them, "I love you boys."

"We love you too dad," Atticus said.

Amy had all sorts of emotions running though her. She had not expected this discussion to go so well. She also had not had any experience of a parent giving guidance and asking for forgiveness like this before. It made her ache for her own parents, whom she knew would have loved this evening. She was certain that she and Jake would join families one day and she was thrilled by that possibility, but it also made her doubt her decision to attend Brown. Now that she had seen what Jake's family was like, she wasn't eager to hold off starting her life with him in the fall. She had a lot to think about.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

That summer, after graduation, was a glorious time. Amy and Jake took their first official vacation together as a couple, spending it in the islands of Greece. Jonah lent them his private yacht and crew. Amy had to admit, this was the life. Two full glorious weeks with Jake was just what they needed. Their relationship had moved to the next level and they needed time to develop it. Once they had returned to Attleboro, it was decision time. Amy was feeling very torn about her decision to go to Brown. School started in a month and she hadn't fully decided what to do. She had been accepted by several schools in Boston, including Harvard. Amy's Cahill connections had made sure of that. Amy had been spending more and more time trying to imagine life at Harvard with Jake. She loved him so much and she really did rely on his strength. It was clear he was up to any Cahill challenge Amy would have to face in the future.

One evening, as the sun was setting, Amy and Jake were sitting around the edge of the pool, having swam laps for thirty minutes. Jake had gotten them some lemonade and snacks.

"Jake, I've been thinking," Amy said staring at her feet. "I've had such a amazing summer with you…" Amy trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"This doesn't sound good Ames, what is it?" Jake said eyeing her suspiciously. "What's going on?"

Amy looked up, meeting his eyes. She had worried him. His rich green eyes that she loved looking into were full of worry. _He thinks I'm breaking up with him! _Amy thought to himself. _Fix this_, she thought.

"No, no, it's nothing bad." She said, getting up to go sit on his chaise lounge with him. She sighed. "I'm just having a battle with myself."

Jake was quiet, a look of confusion on his features. He put his hand lightly on her leg. This little gesture; this small sign of affection was what she loved about him the most. He worked hard to show her how much he cared for her with small gestures like this one; a hand on her back, or brushing an errant hair away; it was such a loving action.

Amy smiled at him, "I don't think I want to go to Brown after all."

Jake lit up, "You don't?" he practically barked. A dawning smile grew on his face. "You want to come to Harvard with me?"

Amy sighed, and then nodded.

Jake was overjoyed, he stood up, grabbing Amy around the waist and began to twirl her around on the spot. "Oh Ames, you have no idea how happy this makes me. I've been dreading saying good-bye to you."

Amy looked at him and gave him a genuine smile. He set her down and kissed her with both hands on her cheeks. Then his face grew serious, "do you have Cahill connections at Harvard? We could always get my dad to pull a few strings."

"There are Cahills at Harvard, don't worry, but Jake, I do have a few caveats," Amy said.

"Name them, they're yours." Jake said, his eyes twinkling, thinking of the next four years of their lives, being spent together not apart like he had imagined.

"Well, first of all, we have to find an apartment of our own."

"Done, what else?" Jake said with obvious enthusiasm.

"I have to run this by Dan. He'll be head of the family once I move to Cambridge and I want to make sure he's okay with that. Or, I did wonder about letting Atticus live here to keep Dan company? There is always a barrage of Cahill's that come and go so Dan won't be lonely for too long. Jonah and Ham have a standing invite to bunk here when Jonah's touring. Ian and Cara come by when they're in the states now too and Nellie and Sammy stop by quite a lot."

"Are you kidding?" Jake asked, "Atticus will think it's a dream come true if he can live here. Dad will be grateful that Atticus is being watched over again. If I'm moving out, he won't let Atticus live in our home alone."

"Ok, good. I knew your father was heading away again soon so this fixes that issue" Amy finished.

Jake took Amy's hand and pulled it to his chest, placing it right on his heart. "What made you change your mind Ames? I didn't see this coming."

Amy looked up into that face she knew so well. She had spent many nights staring at it as he slept next to her now. She had memorized every curve of his jaw and the slope of his nose. _How did I get so lucky?_ She thought.

"I started rethinking Brown the night we met with your dad. Then, with the summer, and our relationship…progressing in the amazing way it has,"

Jake's eyebrow raised and he got a crooked smile on his lips at these words.

"I just found myself not wanting to be apart from you. Ever." Amy concluded.

"We'll still be close enough to Attleboro that we can race back whenever we're needed" Jake said with seriousness.

Amy knew by adding himself in to the Cahill business he was just fulfilling his promise to be there for her, but she still had a very hard time asking him to go on missions with her. He wasn't a Cahill, not yet anyway, and if she could protect him, she would. This wasn't a conversation for right now, so she just smiled at him.

"Are you OK with this Jake? I mean, with the caveats?" Amy asked, looking at him.

"Are you kidding? This is a best-case scenario for everyone involved! I get what I want, Dan gets his best friend, ditto for Att, Dad gets Atticus taken care of and you get what you want." Jake said beaming, but then thought about it a moment and wrinkled his brow, "This is what you want, right Ames? You're not just doing this to make everyone else happy are you?"

Amy shot him a look, "No, I'm not. This is what I want. I want you and if that means Harvard, then Harvard it is."


	11. Chapter 11

Ch 11

"Dan, I think we should talk." Amy said over breakfast the next morning.

"What's up, sis?" Dan said, inserting a huge bite of Cap'n Crunch into his mouth.

Amy pushed her oatmeal to the side, suddenly not hungry. "Dan, I'm not going to go to Brown after all." She let this hang in the air for a moment. She was about the continue when Dan spoke.

"I know. I've known for weeks." Dan said, taking another bite.

"What are you talking about? I just made this decision three days ago!" Amy asked quizzically.

"Amy, sometimes logic wins out over even our best laid plans. You love Jake. I knew the minute you started sleeping with him that it was all over. You two cemented your bond. I was wondering how long it was going to take you to dump Brown for Harvard. Apparently longer than I thought." Dan dipped his spoon back into this cereal.

Amy sat stunned. Her brother knew about this decision before she did! She squinted her eyes and really looked at him.

"Um, well, then, Jake...wants me…to move in with him near campus. I can't make the commute to Cambridge every day." Amy said searchingly.

"So, what are you saying? Are you quitting the family? You want me to take over the Cahill family alone?" Dan said with panic in his voice.

"No, I don't. I will be back here every weekend and I can come at a moment's notice if you need anything. Plus, Fiske is in town as well as Henry Smood."

"Great, so I'm supposed to be comforted in the knowledge that I'll see you every 5 days and two old guys have my back?"

Amy sighed, "Dan, we both knew college was going to change things. Jake and Atticus are both at Harvard. I'll still be the head of the family, I'll just have to do it from Cambridge."

Dan was quiet while he stared at Amy.

"Why don't we move headquarters to Cambridge for the college years?"

"What do you mean?" Amy asked quizzically.

"Amy, 'the college years'," here Dan used air quotes to emphasize his statement, "are going to be a decade or more for us with undergrad, grad school and post-doctorate work between us. Plus, whatever Jake ends up studying after you get married.

Amy blushed. "Nobody's saying anything about getting married."

"But it'll happen eventually. He's as good as a Cahill. You know I'm right. Why not move headquarters to somewhere in Cambridge? And it better not be in some dive apartment near campus. We have a bajillion dollars Amy, you could _buy_ all of campus and still have money."

Amy stopped to really think about this. Finally, she said, "I think we better talk to Jake and Att about this, you're probably on to something Dan."


	12. Chapter 12

Ch 12

"So, you're saying that you want to move the entire Cahill empire an hour North just for the next decade so you can run the family while you're at school?" Jake asked as they all sat beside the pool in loungers. Jake was sitting sideways on his, elbows on his knees leaning forward.

"Basically," Dan said. "It makes sense. It's not practical to make Amy commute every day for years and years, and I don't really want to live in Grace's big house by myself for the next three years, not when the rest of you will all be together in Cambridge."

"This is going to be awesome!" Atticus interjected fairly bouncing on his lounger.

"There's a lot of logistics to work out in the next few months if we're really going to do this." Amy said seriously, beginning to think in earnest.

Jake frowned, "Why not just pass off leadership to another Cahill for the next few years. Wouldn't that be easier?"

"I thought about that," Dan said, "but Amy just regained control and committed to a 4-year term."

"Like a democracy," Atticus added. Amy nodded.  
"It makes sense to move headquarters, but it's a huge undertaking and I'm going to need a lot of help. We don't have time or room to build from scratch, so it'll have to be a retrofit." Amy started, the wheels in her head beginning to spin in earnest. "I can have Cara move everything from the comm center and we can reset 'Gideon' to have a new IP address."

Amy turned and looked at Atticus and Jake, "I think it's a good idea if we set both of you up with space there too. I know your dad's home isn't too far from campus so you can stay whenever you want, or you can stay full time." Amy said, giving Jake a meaningful glance.

"I'll get a hold of Mr. Smood tomorrow to start figuring out legally what we need to do" Jake offered.

"Thanks Jake," Amy said giving him a big smile.

Dan said, "I can alert the cousins to let them know we'll need help. I'm sure Hamilton and Jonah will help with whatever we need. Same with Ian."

Amy gave the three boys a searching look, "Give me your thoughts. What am I missing?"

"What do we do with Grace's house?" Dan asked.

"I think we can ask Fiske to move here for a time." Amy suggested.

Everyone became quiet.

"Uh, guys, this is a good thing, right?" Atticus said slowly smiling at the others. "Can we be super pumped yet? You guys are moving to Cambridge and we can all be together all the time!"

Atticus jumped up and grabbed Dan who stood up and started dancing around. Jake pulled Amy up and they started spinning around too. For a few moments, they looked just like teenagers.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch 13

Plans for finding the right place in Cambridge began in earnest the next day. All the Cahill network came together to find the right house. By the end of the week everyone in the network knew their job and by the end of the second week they had located a potential home. It was in historic West Cambridge, very large, and remote enough on a dead in street that they could have some privacy for Cahill business. That was the best they could hope for in the very crowded West Cambridge area.

The house had been purchased and serious reconstruction began to turn it into the new Cahill headquarters for the coming decade. It had been proposed that after Amy's tenure as head of the family, it made sense for Dan to take over. The discussion to move headquarters had been met with understanding and enthusiasm by Jonah, Hamilton, Ian, Sinead and Fiske. Fiske even agreed to live at Grace's mansion for the foreseeable future and run things from there if it ever was needed.

One brisk October Tuesday, Amy left the mansion in Attleboro early to make the drive to Cambridge. She wanted to stop by the house before class to see the progress. They had been working in earnest for three months on the house now. The physical moving of walls, doors, replacing windows and painting had been done and now came the technical upgrades. It was to be state-of-the-art just like Grace's mansion. There were even some new advances in video surveillance and communications since Grace's house had been rebuilt that Cara was overseeing. She had promised to give Amy a tour once she returned from her vacation with Ian.

Amy parked the Mercedes along the street and locked it. It was barely 7 am and she was alone on the dead-end street. She opened the quaint iron gate across the entry sidewalk and made to enter the front yard. It was a mess, but looked like it was on schedule. The doors and windows had all been replaced with steel framed bullet proof panels and glass. The air system had been completely replaced and specialized filters had been positioned at each vent to detect odorless gases and a whole-house filtration system had been put on the water at each tap; they couldn't have their air or water being tampered with. The exterior walls had all been retrofitted with steel mesh infused sheetrock to prevent someone from cutting right through the exterior and gaining entry. Amy stopped off in the kitchen and had to smile, Nellie would love this kitchen. Amy had specifically asked the kitchen not to be touched as the previous owner had been a professional chef. It was amazing, gleaming white marble and white woodwork, large professional grade cooktop and oven with industrial hood. Recessed lighting and a big screen along one wall. A wine cellar was attached at one end. It was magnificent.

Satisfied with the progress, Amy made to leave the house. It wouldn't be long now. Only a few more weeks and they could move in.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch 14

After class, Amy savored her walk across Harvard Yard. The Campus was classical New England and one of the most iconic institutions the world over. The neoclassical brick buildings and the colorful leaves and buzzing intellectual feel surrounding campus gave Amy a high. She also loved that she got to have lunch with Jake every Tuesday and Thursday. She made her way to the student union and found him already sitting at a small table against the windows overlooking Harvard Square. His head was bent over a book, a pencil in his right hand being flipped between each finger with extreme agility. The sun from the October sky slanting across his features, highlighting his gorgeous face, strong jawline and full lips. Just then, he used his left hand to rake through his hair, disheveling it just so. He didn't notice as Amy approached, so she slowed her walk, just absorbing her view. A smile crept across her face as she thought of all they had been through together. It had taken her a long time to accept that he was really in her corner. He was ready to trust her far sooner than she was him. But, in the end, love was all about trust. He had asked her to believe him and so, she did. It was so freeing to fully and completely trust another person.

He must have sensed something because he looked up and spotted her watching him. A smile spread across his face, he rose and took her backpack from her while giving her a kiss.

"Hello gorgeous," Jake said with a smile.

"Right back at you," Amy said returning the smile.

They both sat and Amy was surprised to see lunch already waiting for her. "You ordered?"

"I figured you'd eat just about anything, so I got you a sandwich. More time with you, less time in line." Jake said winking at her.

"You know me so well," she said taking a bite.

"Actually, I was thinking, we've been through hell and back, but there are still a lot of things I don't know about you." He said sinking into his sandwich too.

Amy thought about this, he was right. She and he had not had a traditional courtship. They had fallen in love under duress and extreme conditions, first traveling the globe to stop Vesper One, then to stop Pierce and his goons. Jake had literally saved Amy's life on more than one occasion, but it didn't leave a lot of time for the intimate details of a relationship.

"What do you want to know?" she said smiling.

Jake leaned across the table, "everything."

Amy smiled and shook her head. Did everything he do have to be sizzling?

"Ok, shoot, but then it's my turn," she said raising one eyebrow toward him.

Jake took another bite, thinking, after a moment, he said, "Ok, where were you born?"

Amy's forehead wrinkled, "That's what you want to start with?"

Jake slowly nodded, "at the beginning."

Amy sighed, "Ok, I was born at Mass General. Right here in Boston, so was Dan," Amy added for extra measure.

Jake nodded, "Ok, your turn."

Amy thought, then said, "Tell me something about yourself that I don't know, but I should."

Jake took a deep breath, leaned back in his seat and gave her a searching look, clearly thinking.

She loved the way he looked at her. His deep brown eyes sent a thrill up her spine every time.

"I'm in a band. I play bass. We're called _The_ _Lawn Mowers_." Jake said with a grin.

Amy sat up straight, "you do? I didn't know that!"

Jake lifted his can of soda in a mock toast, "See? This game is valuable."

"Jake," Amy started, then closed her eyes and shook her head, "what can't you do? You're a genius, you speak 7 languages, you're an athlete, you play in a band, and you're a total hottie!" Amy added with flourish.

"Don't forget piano, violin and salsa dancing," Jake added with his trademark smile that made Amy melt.

She blushed, "of course, how could I forget those. When did you have time to learn all of this?" She genuinely wanted to know.

"Well, let's just say I had a lot of time on my own as a kid and not a lot of video games. The Rosenbloom's are long on brains so there was no shortage of academia available to me. Plus, Atticus was a toddler, so, Astrid was pretty busy with him. She managed to carve out some time with just me though. We played word games in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. She wanted me to have some link to my mother."

This comment confused Amy. "What do you mean by that?"

"My mother was Portuguese. Astrid thought I should know how to speak it."

"_Your mother_ was Portuguese?" Amy asked.

Jake nodded, "She died when I was a baby. All I have are old photos of her with dad and me" Jake said.

"What do you know about her?" Amy asked

Jake shrugged, "not a lot. She met dad as an undergrad when he went to the University of Lisbon for a semester. She was an art history major, specializing in Renaissance art."

Amy studied his reaction to her question. He seemed to show little emotion; flat.

He continued, "she moved to the states and they got married before grad school. That's about all I know. He doesn't talk about her much."

"How did she die?" Amy asked tentatively.

"She got some sort of aggressive cancer when I was only a few months old and was dead by my first birthday," Jake shrugged. Their light mood around the table had turned somber.

"I'm sorry Jake, I didn't know."

"It's OK, Astrid was mom to me. Almost everything I know and who I am is credited to Astrid. She was phenomenal." Jake said with a sad smile.

"I wish I could have met her. I think I would have really liked her,"

"Astrid would have loved you. You remind me a lot of her. She was such a force to be reckoned with, just like you. She commanded a presence in any room she entered; you both have that in common.

The lunch crowd was thinning as students headed off to their afternoon classes. Amy rose to leave.

"Wait a minute, I'll walk with you." Jake said taking her hand and leading her across the square.


End file.
